TRENDnet offers PC and laptop upgrade solution for USB 3.0

USB 3.0 drives may be appearing in ever greater numbers, but if you’ve got a laptop or desktop PC more than a few months old chances are it won’t have USB 3.0 ports.

Although some of us may see this as an opportunity to build or buy a new machine, the cost-effective way to take advantage of a speedy new USB 3.0 drive is with an upgrade. TRENDnet is offering just that, with USB 3.0 solutions for both desktop and laptop users.

First up is a 2-Port USB 3.0 ExpressCard Adaptor model TU3-H2EC. Plug it into your laptop and gain two ports for your Windows machine. A power adaptor is also included, as is backwards compatibility with USB 2.0 devices.

For desktop users there the 2-Port USB 3.0 PCI Express Adaptor model TU3-H2PIE. Compatible with Windows based machines it also has a power adaptor in the form of a 4-pin port for easy connection to your PSU.

The ExpressCard and PCI Express adaptors will be available shortly for $59 and $49 respectively.

I think this is the cheapest way to get USB 3.0 into an existing machine so far. Laptop users won’t like the ports sticking out the side of their machine, but it’s a small price to pay for those 5Gbps transer speeds.

If you’re in the market for a new laptop or desktop machine I suggest waiting for, or finding a model that already has USB 3.0 ports pre-configured. By the end of the year it’s going to start dominating as a transfer standard, and gadget makers will react accordingly.

Speak Your Mind

http://www.amazingelectronics.net Amazing Electronics

But how quickly do you think that the prices for these products will go down? If most products won’t be usb 3.0 compatible for 8-10 months then wouldn’t it be quicker/cheaper/easier to just wait until then? If I was to wait and buy these expansion ports in 10 months would the price decrease by 30-40%.

http://allion.com/ Ally Q.

What about Macs? Or is that not an issue b/c Macs already have USB 3.0 technology? I have a 2008 MacBook, wondering if it’s 3.0 ready out of the box?